Improve TPA Job Wins: Master SLAs for Water Damage in 2025

The restoration industry has strong opinions about Third-Party Administrators (TPAs)—but that debate misses the point. If you're going to work with TPAs, the path to consistent work and profitability is clear: dominate the metrics they use to assign jobs. This guide shows exactly how to track, manage, and exceed the Service Level Agreements (SLAs) that determine how many jobs you get.

How TPAs Decide Who Gets Work

TPAs manage thousands of claims for insurance carriers. When a restoration job comes in, they assign it to contractors based on performance data. The contractors who consistently meet their SLAs get more assignments. The ones who don't fall to the bottom of the rotation. It's that simple.

The primary metric TPAs track is estimate turnaround time: how quickly you submit a completed estimate from the moment the job is assigned to you. Master this metric, and you'll see a direct increase in job volume.

The Two Metrics That Matter Most

Stop worrying about everything else. Focus on these two data points:

1. Date Received
The date the TPA assigns the job to you. This is your starting clock.

2. Date Completed
The date you submit your completed estimate to the TPA. This is your finish line.

The gap between these two dates is what TPAs measure. Close that gap, and you win more work.

Setting Up Your Performance Tracking System

You need visibility into your own performance. Here's how to build it:

Step 1: Create Your Dashboard

Build a detailed report of all your active TPA jobs. Include the job ID, date received, and estimated submit date for each assignment. Save this as an Excel spreadsheet—that's your working dashboard.

Step 2: Track Your Turnaround Time

Add a calculated column that shows the number of days between Date Received and Date Completed. To calculate this in Excel, use this formula in a new column, use this formula:

=TODAY() - (Date Received Column)

This automatically calculates how many days each job has been sitting in your queue.

Step 3: Identify Your Bottlenecks

Sort your dashboard by turnaround time, longest to shortest. The jobs at the top are your problem areas. These are the estimates dragging down your average and costing you future assignments.

How to Improve Your SLA Performance

1. Set Internal Deadlines

Don't wait until the TPA's deadline. Set your own internal target—ideally 24-48 hours for most water damage jobs. This buffer protects you from unexpected delays and keeps your metrics strong.

2. Prioritize by Age

Every morning, review your dashboard. Work on the oldest jobs first. The longer a job sits, the more it damages your performance score.

3. Communicate Proactively

If you're going to miss a deadline, notify the TPA immediately. Explain the delay and provide a new completion date. TPAs track communication responsiveness as a secondary metric—use it to your advantage.

4. Automate Where Possible

Use tools like Xactanalysis to speed up estimate review and validation. The faster you can verify line items, calculate totals, and finalize estimates, the better your turnaround time.

Measuring Your Progress

To stay competitive in the restoration industry, it's essential to commit to continuous improvement. Regularly reviewing your performance metrics helps you identify areas where you can enhance efficiency.

Weekly Review

Every Friday, calculate your average turnaround time for the week. Compare it to the previous week. Are you improving? If not, identify what's slowing you down.

Monthly Analysis

At the end of each month, review your total job volume from each TPA. If you're consistently meeting SLAs but not seeing an increase in assignments, reach out to your TPA contact. Ask for feedback on your performance and inquire about opportunities to take on more work.

The Competitive Advantage

Most restoration contractors don't track their TPA performance systematically. They submit estimates when they can and hope for the best. By implementing a structured tracking system, you gain a significant edge.

TPAs reward consistency. When you prove you can deliver estimates quickly and reliably, you become their go-to contractor. More assignments mean more revenue, and more revenue means you can invest in better tools, hire more staff, and scale your business.

Final Thoughts

Working with TPAs doesn't have to be frustrating. The key is understanding what they measure and optimizing your workflow to excel at those metrics. Focus on turnaround time, track your performance religiously, and communicate proactively. Do this consistently, and you'll see a direct correlation between your SLA performance and your job volume.

The restoration contractors who dominate TPA work aren't necessarily the best at restoration—they're the best at managing their metrics. Start tracking today, and you'll start winning more jobs tomorrow.